Vending-machine coin control.



N- 0. TRAVERSE VENDING MACHINE COIN CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED IANwT. 1915' 1,176,501 Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI' 1- /N V5 N TOR Nelse O. Trev? 4 N. O. TRAVERSE VENDING MACHINE com CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7, 1915.

1,176,501 I Patented Mar. 21,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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g F 1" i I +5 I i 42 l 9 a "i I Nelse (jiT rcz vrs 3 y W ,4 rmRMys NELSE O. TRAVERSE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

VENDING-MACHINE COIN CONTROL.

Application filed January 7, 1915.

and State of Minnesota, have invented anew and Improved Vending-Machine Coin Control, of which the following is a full,

- clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to vending machines and has reference more particularly to the checkor coin-control for vending machines.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, automatic and inexpensive coin control.

lVith the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of the application, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and Figure 1 is a vertical section on line 1-1, Fig. 3, through a vending machine embodying my coin control; Fig. 2 is a section on line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 5-5, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 6 is the housing or casing of the machine, the rear wall of which is hinged and provided with locking means 7, wherethrough access may be had to the casing. Secured to the front wall of the casing is a frame 8 forming a series of compartments which receive the packages to be dispensed. The front part of the easing is provided with openings in register with the compartments formed by the frame 8 and which are screened by a glass 9 suitably attached to the front of the casing.

The bottom of the frame 8, which also forms the bottom of the compartments,- is partly inclined downwardly toward the front of the casing, whereat the front of the casing is provided with a delivery opening 10 through which the packages are dehvered to a tray 11 secured to the caslng. The tray is preferably provided with a cover spaced therefrom, so as to prevent the insertion of the hand or fingers into the casing through the delivery or ening 10.

-The packag ZE 12 to be. dispensed, which are located in the compartment, are retained on the partially straight bottom of each compartment under their own weight and also Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

Serial No. 959.

by providing a weight 13 over each series of packages in each compartment. A shaft 14 is mounted to rotate within the casing below and adjacent the rear end of the bottom of the compartments of the frame 8. Carried by the shaft let are arms 15 spaced from each other and each in alinement with a slot 16 provided in the bottom of the compartment where the arm can pass in forcing the lowermost package out of the compartment through the delivery opening 10 into the tray 11. As shown in the drawings there are three compartments, consequently three arms 15 are provided, the angular relation between said arms being substantially 120 degrees. When one compartment is used the three arms 15 may be in the same'plane but their angular relation will remain the same.

Mounted to rotate with the shaft 14 is a ratchet 17 having the same number of stops as there are arms 15 on the shaft 14. A pair of arms 18 and 19 are mounted to turn freely on each side of the ratchet 17, each of said arms being provided with a spring actuated pawl 20 adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet. The arm 18 is connected by a rod 21 to one end of an actuating lever 22 which is pivoted between its ends. The other end of said actuating lever projects through a slot 23 provided in the front of the casing. A link 24 connects the'arm 19 to the actuating lever between the pivot thereof and its connection with .the rod 21. A resilient member 25 normally maintains the projecting end of the actuating lever 22 at the upper end of the slot 23. The connection of the rod 21 with the actuating lever is a loose connection obtained by forming an elongated slot 26' in the rod 21, so that an initial movement must always be given to the actuating lever 22 before the rod 21 is actuated by the movement of said lever 22 while the link 24 participates in all the movements of the actuating lever.

The rotation of the shaft 14 is normally prevented by a spring actuated pawl 26 which engages one of the notches provided in the ratchet 17. The said pawl 26 is connected by. a link 27 to an arm 28 rigid with ashaft ,29 having another rigid crank 30 passing through a slot 31 provided in the coin chute 32 adjacent the bend or pocket thereof. The chute 32 registers with a slot 33 formed in the front of the casing, through which a coin may be inserted. The coin directed. through the slot will roll into the pocket or bend of the coin chute and is prevented from dropping into the coin receiver 34 by the end of the arm projecting into the chute. A push bar 33 has one end thereof engaged into a slot 34 provided in the bend or pocket of the chute, the other end of said push bar being connected to one arm of a bell-crank lever 35. The other arm of the bell-crank lever is connected to a member 36 mounted to slide adjacent the slot 23 in the frontof the casing. The member 36' carries a spring-actuated latch.37 normally in engagement with the lower edge of the actuating lever 22.

When a coin is inserted the same will enter the pocket as indicated in dotted line in Fig. 2. By pressing the actuatlng lever 22 downward the slide 36 will move therewith, causing the push bar 33 to move into the chute, thus engaging the coin, which, 1n turn, engages the arm 30, forcingthe link 27 downward, which will disengage the pawl 26 from the ratchet 17. The link 24 will move upward with the actuatinglever 22, the rod 21 remaining undisturbed until the end of the actuating lever comes in contact with the upper end of the slot 26, when the pawl 26 of thearm 18 will cause the ratchet 17 to turn. The initial movement of the lever 22, before the same operates the rod 21, is controlled by the size of slot 26".. The rod 21 begins its movement under the action of the actuating lever 22 before the coin is permitted to escape into the receptacle 34.

' The movement of the slide 36 with the actuating lever 22 is interrupted as soon as the rod 21 starts its movement, by causing a disengagement of the latch 37 with the actuating lever 22. To obtain this a cam surface 38 is provided in the path of a pin 39 carried by the latch 37, so that when this pin strikes thecam surface the same is drawn in, leaving the lever 22 to continue its movement in the slot 23. The slide 36 can then be restored to its normal position by a resilient member 40. The progressing movement of the actuating lever 22 causes the rotation of the shaft 14, and, consequently, of the arms 15, one of the arms coming in engagement with the corresponding lowermost package and forcing the same but into'the tray. The pawl 26 contacting with the surface of the ratchet 17 will drop into the following-notch as soon as the same comes into register with the said pawl, thus preventing any further movement by inertia or otherwise. It will be seen that the arms 15*will successively deliver an article from the adjacent compartments when they are spaced, that is, when they are not in the same plane, as shown in the drawings.

The pawl 20 of the arm 19 connected to ment of the ratchet 17 in case the actuating lever 22 isnot pushed through theentire [length of the slot 23, so that the delivery of the article is always sure, .whether the actuating lever 22 has been pushed through the entire length of the slot or not. When the actuating member 22 has not been carried through the length of the slot 23, the resilient member25'will give an impulse to the ratchet through the medium of the arm 19 and complete the movement, so as to throw out the lowermost package.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying draw ings, the advantage of the construction and operation of the device shown will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device .shoWn is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made as' are within the scopeof the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: a

1. In a coin control for vending machines, a shaft mounted to revolve, a ratchet carried by the shaft, a spring-actuated pawl locking the ratchet, arms on each side of said-ratchet free to turn relatively thereto, a spring-actuated pawl on each arm engaging said' ratchet, an actuating lever, a link connecting said lever to each of said arms, one of said links having means for leaving to said actuating lever an initial movement before the link is engaged by said lever, a slide operable by said actuating lever, a push bar operable by the movement of said slide, a crank arm, a'link connecting said crank arm to the first-mentioned springactuated pawl, means adapted to bring a coin intermediate said push bar and said crank arm, means for disengaging said slide from the actuating lever when said actuating lever engages the link having the means shaft, a push bar cooperatively disposed with said last-mentioned means, a coin chute for bringing .a coin between said push bar and the means for operatin the locking means, whereby the motion 0 the push bar is transmitted to said means, a bell crank lever associated with said push bar, a slide connected to said bell crank lever, an opcrating lever for displacing the slide,means associated with the slide for disconnecting it from the operating lever after a predetermined displacement of said lever, means for rotating the shaft, and means connecting the shaft rotating means to said operating lever so that the same hasan initial predetermined displacement before actuating said shaft rotating means.

3. In a coin control for vending machines,

'a shaft mounted to rotate, a ratchet carried by said shaft, a pawl normally engaging said ratchet and preventing the rotation of second link connecting the other arm with said operating means, said second arm adapted to engage the ratchet to complete the movement of the shaft when said operating means is restored to its normal position, and resilient means for restoring said operating means to its normal position.'

4. In a coin control for vending machines, a shaft mounted to revolve, means locking the rotary shaft against movement, an actuating lever, a slide operable by the actuating lever, a push-bar operable by the movement of the slide, a crank arm, a coin chute adapted to bring the coin between the pushbar and the crank arm, means connecting the arm to the locking means whereby the locking means is operatedwhen the crank arm is operated and whereby the shaft is released, means for disengaging the slide from the actuating lever after a predetermined displacement thereof, and means for revolving the shaft connected to the ac- I tuating lever adapted to become operative after the slide has been released by the ac- -.preventing the rotation 'of-"said shaft, an actuatlng lever, a slide, a latch-carried by the slide and lying in the path ofthe actuating lever, -means for forcing the latch out of the path of the actuating lever whereby the slide is disconnected from theactuating lever, resilient means for restoring the latch to the normal position, res lient means for restoring the actuating lever to its 'normal position, a push-bar op erable by the movement of the slide, a crank arm, a coin chute adapted to bring a coin between the push-bar and the crank arm, means connecting the arm to the locking means whereby the shaft is free to turn when the crank arm is operated, and'means for revolving the shaft becoming operable by the movement of said operating lever after the slide has been disconnected from the operating lever.

6. In a coin control for vending machines, 7

a shaft mounted-to revolve, locking'mean's preventing the rotation of the shaft, a crank arm operatively connected to the looking I means, a push bar, a coin chute adapted to brlng a coin between the push-bar and the crank, a slide operatively connected to the push-bar, an operating lever, means for coupling the lever to the slide, means for uncoupling the slide from the lever after a predetermined displacement thereof, and means for revolving the shaft in operative connection with the operating lever and adapted to become operative after the slide has been uncoupled from the operating lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NELSE O. TRAVERSE.

Witnesses FRED F. STOCKWELL,

CHAs. L. KAPLE, 

